Shatto Family: Happy Birthday Monreau...

May 4th, 2007 at 4am we welcomed our sweet Monreau! She came into the world after a scary and intense delivery. Bruised & swollen. Tiny as could be (almost 3 pounds smaller than her sister)! In many ways when I think about that night it was nothing like I had expected. Delivery took hours longer than I thought it would. After pushing for 20 minutes with Shaelyn I spent 3 long hours pushing to meet Monreau. I thought she was a boy :)... she was a girl!! I thought she would be chubby, but she was so tiny!! Matt and I had agreed on a different girl name, but on the way to the hospital he threw it out of the running because we were settling on one neither of us loved and he was SO in love with the name Monreau. (I was in love with a different name :)).

The events of May 4th were all different than my expectations .... but being Monreau's mom has met every single expectation I had!! I love her more than life itself! She fills me! She challenges me! She pushes me (daily!) to be be a better, more creative mom! She makes me laugh. She has made me cry :). She is nothing like me... yet I wish I could be more like her! I could not be more thankful for the precious gift we were given in this sweet, loving girl!!

Monreau it was fun to celebrate you today!!

You woke up to... your door decorated, presents and a new outfit! (you think clothes are fun and were super excited about getting dressed up for your birthday!)

We started the day with breakfast out! Just Monreau, Shaelyn and I! (thank you to my sweet father-in-law who came over early to stay with the boys!)

Then we just hung out at home ... Stennson loved getting some time with just you after McLleyton went down for a nap!

After Shaelyn got home from School we went out to the cottage! One of the best places in the world! :) You said " That's the perfect thing to do on my birthday!" (Daddy was in Alabama for the long weekend for a golf outing... he definitely misses you :))